South Africa issues severe thunderstorm and flooding warnings

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued several high-level weather warnings as severe thunderstorms, heavy rain, hail, and damaging winds are expected to impact multiple provinces.

An Orange Level 6 warning for severe thunderstorms has been issued for the North West, the northern half of the Free State, and parts of the north-eastern Northern Cape. These conditions may lead to the flooding of roads, settlements, and low-lying areas, as well as damage to infrastructure and disruption to municipal services. In these regions, rainfall between 30mm and 50mm is possible, with winds potentially exceeding 40km/h.

An Orange Level 5 warning is in place for Gauteng and the Highveld of Mpumalanga, where flooding and gusty winds are also possible. Additionally, Yellow Level warnings cover parts of Limpopo, the Northern Cape, and the Free State, with risks of localized flooding and falling trees due to excessive lightning.

Weather conditions are expected to improve from Tuesday as the low-pressure system moves east. While the interior faces storms, KwaZulu-Natal is expected to remain cloudy and cool, and the Western Cape may experience damaging coastal winds but should escape much of the heavy rainfall affecting the interior.